Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
And thought how, as the day had come,

The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along

The unbroken song

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
Till ringing, singing on its way,

The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime,

A chant sublime

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
Then from each black, accursed mouth

The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound

The carols drowned

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
It was as if an earthquake rent

The hearth-stones of a continent,

And made forlorn

The households born

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
And in despair I bowed my head;

“There is no peace on earth,” I said;
“For hate is strong, And mocks the song

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:

“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The Wrong shall fail,

The Right prevail,

With peace on earth, good-will to men.”

by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I don’t’ know when this song first had an impact on me, it’s meaning has changed over time as I have heard it year after year. In the last few years, it has changed from a song of dispare to a song of great hope and joy! I love to hear it and in my church, the organist really makes it wonderful and uplifting!

In my own life, I have moved through this opinion of the world and mankind in it. I remember a time when I was not interested in the affairs of those around me. It was typical of me to avoid others and not care what happened to those around me. At one point I didn’t even care about my siblings. Over the course of several years, my life took me into hard times and an actual and spiritual all desert.

It took a a few small acts from friends and family to soften my heart. Then I was presented with a choice … the choice between dark and light. The choice between walking the path of faith of the path of rebellion.

I was attending church with a very dear friend of mine, a guy who was and is an example to me. During the sermon, the pastor spoke about making New Year’s Resolutions. I don’t remember most of his sermon, at the very end, he said; “If there is only. one resolution that you make this year, make it to become more like Christ.” It was in that moment a decision had to be make. I was acting like the Israelites and halting between 2 decisions. It took me 3 days to make a decision about what path I would take.

As this year comes to a close, the twentieth year since that day, I have reflected upon the path my life has taken. I have often reflected on the decision I made and all the good things that have come from that day. I am ever so grateful for my wife – Lauren, my 4 boys, the faith that has developed, my education, the experiences, the books, the friends, my home, and job. All the good things that have come into my life, have come from that day.

The relationships with my siblings and parents have improved, my friendships have grown and more friends have come into my life. My gratitude abounds and my desire to share that gratitude and abundance continues to grow the more abundance and blessing flow into my life!

My hope and desire for this New Year is that you will be able to see and experience the blessing and abundance that is there for each and every one of us!

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I listen to Rich Dad Radio Show each week and a few weeks ago … the August 20th, 2016 episode titled “Find Meaning, Find Success”; is an interview with JW Wilson about the affects of formal education on the mind. What stood out to me the most was this statement made by Mr. Wilson.

“Rituals let your biology know you are serious about a commitment; then your body relaxes into the commitment.” – JW Wilson

It hit home with me because it is true and because I have put this into practice most of my life without realizing that this applied. I stood in front of quotes for years reading them and making them a very real part of me. I can look back to my college days, when I read my collected quotes daily as part of my morning ritual. It allowed me to make them a part of me. As the biblical saying goes, “it is written on your heart”. When you learn, study, and work on some commitment you make; you have to internalize it. When you add it to your routines (i.e. rituals), your body knows that you are serious. Your mind knows that you are serious.

You then begin to change and develop the personal tools that you need to move into your new commitment. When we look at how often New Year’s Resolutions fail … we can see the lack of commitment and changes to personal rituals that will empower the individual and assist them in making those changes permanent.

“All men who achieved great things have been dreamers.” – Unknown

I really enjoy this quote! I have never taken ‘dreamers’ here to mean a lackadaisical, dreamy, cotton-headed person; to me, it has always meant someone who thinks and plans and is willing to work on those plans until they come to fruition or pivot to another idea derived from the first. I have, for many years, admired the works and ambitions of Vanderbilt, Rockefeller, Carnegie, Morgan, and Ford. The early industrialists and business leaders that built huge businesses and forged many of the standards and work norms that are part of our current views of the work place.

While my dreams have not yet come to fruition, I am still working on them. I got distracted and sidetracked by the cacophony of the educators and leaders that say go to school and get an education. While a degree is helpful, the real education that is needed is that of personal drive and desire. I believe that it is more important for a person to pursue the knowledge that one needs (has an interest in) to pursue their goals. We could talk about Steve Jobs taking the calligraphy course or of Bill Gates spending hours coding in his high school years. We could also look at Mark Zuckerburg, Jack Dorsey, Mark Cuban, or Michael Dell. We could look outside the typical business communities to Christian von Koenigsegg, Hayley Hobson, Eric Worre, or Robert Kiyosaki.

My point is that if you have an idea work on it; see where that adventure will take you!